Kerala HC grants interim relief to ‘expelled’ rape accused Congress leader Rahul Mamkootathil, prevents his arrest

Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil (Image via X)

Rahul Mamkootathil, the Palakkad MLA who was expelled from the Congress party over serious rape charges, has been given temporary relief by the Kerala High Court on Saturday (6th December). The court has stopped his arrest for now while hearing his anticipatory bail plea. Justice K Babu’s bench said Mamkootathil will not be arrested until the next hearing, scheduled for 15th December.

This comes just days after a sessions court on Thursday, 4th December in Thiruvananthapuram rejected his pre-arrest bail request, and the Congress decided to remove him from the party’s primary membership.

Mamkootathil had been missing for about 10 days since a woman filed a complaint with the police against him. On Tuesday, 2nd December, he faced another rape case filed against him, which took place in 2023.

The first case was registered at Nemom police station and includes charges of rape, forcing a woman to have an abortion without her consent, criminal intimidation, and recording her naked with an electronic device. Mamkootathil, who became an MLA after winning a byelection last year, has claimed that his relationship with the complainant was consensual.

The Congress party faced criticism for acting late, but finally took firm action after police registered two rape cases against him within a week. The timing of these incidents has caused concern as the state faces local body elections in a week and assembly elections in five months. The party’s decision to expel Mamkootathil seems aimed at limiting any damage to the Congress-led UDF’s election chances.

Inside the party, Mamkootathil was thought to have support from senior leaders like Opposition Leader V D Satheesan and MP Shafi Parambil. Party insiders suggest this helped him get the party ticket to contest the Palakkad byelection despite protests from local leaders.

Adding to the controversy, M A Shahanas from the Congress cultural wing said Mamkootathil sent her inappropriate messages after she returned from a farmers’ protest in Delhi, and she had previously warned Parambil about him, but was ignored.

Originally from Pathanamthitta district, Mamkootathil won the Palakkad seat last November after Shafi Parambil vacated it to join the Lok Sabha. He was once seen as a rising star in Congress and was often the party’s voice on TV debates. In 2023, he became Youth Congress state president, surviving previous claims that he had manipulated the voters’ list during his election to that post.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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